The Apex were close to human in appearance until a breakthrough in research into accelerated evolution led to the creation of the “Vestigi-Evo Process” (VEP). The VEP allowed the Apex to trade physical devolution for intellectual evolution.

The Apex operate under a collectivist regime controlled by the MiniKnog (The Ministry of Knowledge). Each Apex dedicates his/her life to the survival and progression of the Apex as a whole. The nature of this regime allowed the VEP to be administered species-wide in less than 10 years.

The most honored members of Apex society are those chosen by the MiniKnog to donate their bodies to furthering the VEP. Those chosen for the experimentation process are rarely seen again, but their names are said to be inscribed on the wall of the chosen which sits deep within the Ministry.

For a time, the MiniKnog received criticism from several prominent Apex for what appeared to be a bias towards selecting only the poorest in society to be members of the chosen. However, this criticism was silenced when the critics themselves were selected.

There are whispers of a rebel group ready to denounce the MiniKnog and lead the Apex into revolution...but in Apex society even discussion of dissent is punishable by death.

Apex are mammals similar both to humans and the "great apes" commonly found on Earth. Before the introduction of the VEP, it is likely they resembled humans even more closely than they currently do, with the "devolution" effect of the VEP causing their more ape-like features (I.E. greater body hair, monochromatic eyes).

Distinguishing features of the species include their body hair, absent mostly on their faces, palms and likely the bottoms of their feet and stomachs. They have large ears and distinguished facial hair (often females will also have facial hair), and particularly monochromatic eyes, taking on a glossy black color.

Apex society seems to be based around a technocratic totalitarian regime which prioritises the advancement of their species through a highly scientific governmentality. It appears that this regime has held power since before the Apex began experimenting with VEP, which is the primary reason the species was so quickly and so uniformly altered by the process.

At the center of this power structure is the Ministry of Knowledge (Miniknog). The main drive of Miniknog is to ensure the ever-escalating socio-scientific development of the race, evolving to become ever more intelligent and technologically advanced. This motivation can be seen both in the systematic efficiency of the species-wide implementation of VEP over only a few short generations, as well as in the technology and architecture of Apex star vessels and planetside facilities, all of which share a uniform ultramodern design which is both highly utilitarian and futuristic.

Apex recorded history only extends backwards a few hundred years, earlier records apparently having been deliberately destroyed by the regime in order to deracinate modern Apex society from any sense of loyalty to or investment in their presumably premodern ancestors.

Like other races in Starbound, Apex towns can be found throughout the cosmos. They tend to consist primarily of large buildings with a large number of metallic parts, posters which often honor Big Ape and dispense information, televisions, and security cameras. Like Avian villages, none of the local Apex are automatically hostile to the player, making them a welcome find for new players; in addition, their enclosed nature gives players a good deal of protection from any local hostile creatures. However, Apex guards are quite sparse compared to their Avian counterparts, so they will not be of much help in the event of a fight: in addition, Apex villages tend to be vulnerable to armed takeovers for the same reason.

An Interrogation Table is located in some Apex facilities, it has a light color scheme and has saws and drills above. Despite the name it has one of the highest health regeneration rates of all beds.

The Apex are the most technologically advanced playable race in Starbound.

The term Apex, in food chains, refers to predators (such as Lions or Orcas) with few to no predators of their own, making them the top of the food chain.

The term Apex, may also come from the fact the first 3 letters are A-P-E.

Apex lore is riddled with references to the dystopian classic 1984 by George Orwell. Features such as MiniKnog and "Big Ape" are obvious allusions to the Ministries of Ingsoc (Ministry of Truth being Minitrue, Ministry of Love being Miniluv, etc.), and Big Brother being a considerable presence in 1984.

The picture below shows a humorous allusion to Valve's Portal series, with the poster symbolizing the entry into the facility, the caption saying "Go Ape."

The Apex might have been at least partially inspired by the "Planet of the Apes" movies.